Thrust-bearing.



O. P. WOODBURN.

THRUSIBEARING.

APPLICATION FILED IUNES. 1918,

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@wf/Iron bearing is supported. Extensions OSCAR P'. WOODBURN, OF

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR T0 LAYNE & BOWLE-R COMPANY, 0F MEMPHIS,TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS.

, THRUs'r-BEARING.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, OSCAR P. WooDBURN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county ofShelby and State of Tenn., have invented new and useful Improvements inThrust-Bearings, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to apparatus for receiving thrust loads, and hasparticular reference to a means for distributing the load amongaplurality of bearings. It has for its primary object the provision ofmeans of the character described which comprises. amain supportingframe, individual supporting members for each bearing movable withrespect to the frame, and a cable or other flexible means cooperatingwith the frame and the supporting members in such manner as todistribute the load among the bearings as will hereinafter more clearlyappear. I attain this object' by means of a construction illustrated inpreferred form in the accompanaying drawing wherein- Figur Fig. 2 andFig. 2 is a side elevation of the device partly in section.

To a vertical shaft 1, which carries the load2 are fastened the sleeves2 having the bearing shoulders 3. These shoulders abut against suitablebearings 4 there being provided two or more as desired.. Below eachbearing is a bearing plate 5 upon which the 6 on the through slots 7extending frame 8, which frame in- The plates 5 are adapted to movevertically in the frame and are guided by the extensions 6 in the slots7. The frame 8 is provided at the bottom with a ange 9 which is adaptedto rest upon any suitable support, ange 9.

On the plates 5 project the length of a closes the-bearings.

extensions 6 of the plates 5 are mounted sheaves 10 and on the frame 8are mounted other sheaves 11. The sheaves on the frame are arranged insets circumferentially thereof, the number of sheaves in a set being thesame as the number on a plate. The sets of sheaves on the plates arearranged to come between the 'sets on the frame, and the sheaves of oneset are arranged in staggered relation to the sheaves of the other set,as shown. A cable 12 is fastened to a pin 13 on the frame and is thenpassed below a sheave onv one of the Specification of Letters Patent.

e 1 is a section4 on the line I-I of and at the top witha Patented Mar.18, 1919.

Application filed June B, V1918. Serial No. 238,974.

extensions of the bottom plate 5.-. is then passed up and over a sheaveon 'the frame, the same being one of the set immediately above thebottom plate and locatedV be tween the first and second sheaves of theplate. Next it is passed below the second sheave of the plate and thenup and over the'second sheave on the frame. This process is continueduntil the cable has been threaded around all of the sheaves. The otherend is now fastened adjustably to the .frame as indicated at 13a. It is,therefore,

apparent that the plates 5 and the bearings which they support arecarried on the cable l2 and that by means of this cable and thearrangement of sheaves around which it is threaded the thrust load isreadily distributed among all the bearings.

Surrounding the whole apparatus there may be placed a sheet metal orother protective covering'14 which may also be used as an oil reservoir,so that all moving parts run in a bath of oil.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for receivin thrust loads having a rotatin shaft an aplurality of bearings there or, the combination of a movable support foreach bearing, a frame coperating therewith and flexible means fixed tothe frame and adapted to yieldingly carry the movable supports for thebearings whereby the load is distributed all the bearings.

among 2. n apparatus for receiving thrust loads comprising incombination a frame, a rotating shaft, a plurality of bearings for theshaft, and movable supporting members for the bea-rings, said membersand their ybearings being yieldingly supported b a cable on the frame insuch maner as to istribute the load among the bearings.

3. An lapparatus for receiving thrust loads comprising in combination aframe, a rotating shaft, a plurality of bearings for the shart, movablesupporting members for the bearings, a pluralityof supporting points onthe frame, and flexible means for carrying the supporting members, saidflexible means extending alternately from a supporting point on theframe to a point on a supporting member, whereby the load is distributedamong the bearings.

4. An apparatus for receiving thrust loads, comprising in combination aframe, a

rotating shaft, a plurality of bearings for 5.. Ina thrust bearing `aplurality of bearings therefor, equalizing means comprising incombination a frame,

the shaft, movable supporting members for the bearings, a plurality ofsupporting points on the frame, and a cable for carrying the supportingmembers yieldingly threaded between the supporting points on the frameand said supporting members, whereby the load is distributedamon thebearings.

having a shaft and sheaves on the frame arranged in sets longitudinallythereof, a bearing plate beneath each bearing adapted to vmovelongitudinally lof the frame, a set of sheaves on each platecorresponding in number to those on the 15 frame, the sets on the platesbeingsarranged in alternate relation with those on the` frame, and acable alternately threaded from a sheave of one set to a sheave of 'theother set its ends fastened to the frame, 20

OSCAR P. wooDBURn l

